Boiler-tube and combustion-chamber cleaner



I; BENNETT.

BOILER TUBE AND COMBUSTION QHAMBER CLEANER.

' APPLICATION FILED rmzs, 19I6- 1,340, 144. Patente May 18,1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

. J'naentoz: a 2? )4,

,Marmgy J. BENNETT.

BOILER TUBE AND COMBUSTION CHAMBER CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED rwza, 1916.

1,340,144. Patented y 18, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

May.

J. BENNETT.

-B0|LER TUBE AND COMBUSTION CHAMBER CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2a, 1916.

1,340, 144, P tented Maj18,1920.

3 SHEETS- SHEI-IT 3.

UNITED sTA Es PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES BENNETT, or CLEVELAND, onxo.

BOILER-TUBE AND COMBUSTION-CHAMBER CLEANER' vide means for removing the collections of soot and other products of combustion from the flues of a return flue boiler and also by proper manipulation for agitating and driving out all deposits of light ashes and soot collected in the combustion chamber,

behind the grate and bridge wall.

This means comprises rotatable steam jet pipes, arranged at different levels in front of the horizontal boiler flues and underneath the vertical draft flues in the air chamber of the smoke box.

By means of these jet tubes, a powerful circulation and current of steam and air combined, is driven through one series of flues, into the combustion chamber and after agitating the light ashes and soot deposited in the combustion chamber by giv- ,ing a rotary movement thereto under 1ncreased draft, drives all products of combustion in a suspended state back to the front of the boiler through other series of flues at a different level, ad by means of vertically adjustable jet tu )es all products of combustion are drive-.1 out of the smoke stack.

This is accomplished by means of upper and lower series of jet tubes, which can be adjusted to direct theirjets alternately in horizontal and vertical directions.

The improved device is also adapted to furnish dry steam directly to the flues and to agitate the deposited material in the dry state and is therefore eflicient in gathering it up and carrying it off in a suspended condition.

The jets are arranged in spaced relation to each other in swinging upper and lower series or rows in horizontal tubes in the smoke box which lie back against the smoke box doors when not in use and hence are not Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

mines the direction of the current produced through the horizontal flues of the boiler and vertical flues of the artificial draft leadmg to the smoke stack.

he invention is hereafter more fully described, illustrated in" the accompanying drawings, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a marine boiler showing the artificial draft chamber, the upper and lower frames composed of jet tubes and nozzles, and the action of the device, in producing a rotary agitating movement in the combustion chamber; Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the smoke box and artificial draft chamber showing the vertical and horizontal flues and the arrangement of the swinging frames and jet nozzles in a two furnace boiler; Fig. 3 is a similar view in a three furnace boiler; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section enlarged of one of the jet tubes and nozzles; Fig. 5 is an enlarged section of one of the nozzles; Fig. 6 is an enlarged section of swivel joint permitting rotary motion of each jet frame upon its steam supply tube. Fig. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a portion of one of the jet tubes.

In these views 1 is a tubular boiler of the return flue type; 2 is the furnace; 3 the grate, 4 the bri ge wall and 5 the combustion-chamber. 6, 6, are the horizontal re turn fiues' through which the smoke is conveyed from the combustion chamber 5 to the smoke box 7, which coversv the upper half of the front of the boiler. 8 is the artificial or air heating chamber which communicates with the ash pan 9 underneath Patented May 18, 1920. Application'filed February 28, 1916. Serial No. 80,829. I

lar jet carrying frames 13, 14, respectively. These comprise each a lower horizontal tube T and an upper jet carrying tube T provided with jet nozzles T, T spaced to coincide with sheet and air heater above.

The tubes T are connected by means of swivel joints shown enlarged in Fig. 6, with a llve steam pipe 15.

The jet nozzles are clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to be so shaped as to produce the greatest possible velocity in each jet as it is pro'ected into the adjacent boiler flue. There ore the mouth is first restricted at t and then belled or curved outward at t, which serves to increase the pressure and speed at the outlet.

These frames 13 and 14 are pivoted transversely in the smoke box, in sleeves S, S,

which traverse the air chambers and are rotatable in these sleeves as bearings by means of hand levers L, or any suitable external operating gear.

In Fig. 6. the lever is shown attached to coupling flanges F, F, by means of which the pipe connections are made. One frame 13 is so positioned in the lower part of the smoke box that when rotated it can assume either a vertical position or any angle thereto in an .arc of 180, and when not in use can be laid back against the-smoke box door to protect it from the intense heat from the boiler flues. This swinging frame can then be made to inject steam into all the lower flues of the boiler.

The other or .upper frame 14. is so positioned that it can swing in a similar arc of 180 and the jets from it will inject steam into the flues of the upper'half of the boiler orinto the vertical flues above; or when not in use this frame can be laid back against the door of the smoke box out of the extreme heat from the boiler tubes.

In employing these jet frames toclear the tubes and combustion chamber they are adjusted in the following manner:

' At the start, the frames lie in a substantially vertical position against the door D, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Next, the upper frame T, is turned vertically, toward the vertical flues 11, llabove, and the lower frame is rotated slowly to inject steam in a rearward direction throu h the horizontal flues in the lower part 0 the boiler, and against the rear wall- H, of the combustion chamber. The action is to produce a whirling rotary movement of steam and of the products of combustion in the combustion chamber 5, which will loosen the deposit from the bottom and the walls thereof, and agitate all particles of soot or ashes in the combustion chamber 5, and the increased draft caused by injecting steam under pressure will carry away the particles of soot or ashes suspended therein in a forward direction, through the upper horizontal lines of the boiler into the smoke box 7, at the front of the boiler.

From there the vertically directed draft into the smoke stack of a marine boiler, or

through the chimney of a stationary boiler. The dry soot and ashes also have a scouring effect upon the inner surfaces of the flues like a sand blast, and clear away all fire scale from them.

Afterward the relative positions of the jetframes are then reversed and the upper frame 14 is rotated to a horizontal position so as to inject the steam in a horizontal rearward direction through the upper rows of horizontal flues and the lower frame is rotated to assume a vertical position.

The effect of this action is to provide a strong movement of the draftjn the combustion chamber in the reversedirection to the aforesaid movement,'as the steam from the upper flues impin es upon the upper part of the back sheet it is then projected to the bottom of the chamber to agitate and loosen and carry away the soot and ashes still remaining therein through the flues in the lower 'port of the boiler in a forward direction into the smoke box, and thence through the vertical flues into the stack by the blast from the lower jet frame 13.

When the flues and combustion chamber are thoroughly cleaned the jet frames are returned to their first position lying against the door.

By producing a vperfectlycclean combusion chamber a great saving in fuel and greatly increased boiler efficiency is attained, and a great increase in efficiency over that obtained by 'merely cleaning out the flues alone.

In marine boilersf-the device is particularly desirable because of the non-accessibility of the combustion chamber for cleaning.

In the proper method of operating the device no moist steam can ever enter the horizontal flues since the j ets are first turned upward until the moisture of condensation is driven out of the frames and only dry steam is permitted to enter the combustion chamber and horizontal flues. I

This feature alone is of the utmost importance therefore the 'et frames are pref-- erably independently a justable-for vertical and horizontal positions which can be alternately assumed at the will of operator.

The preferable form of swinging or rotatable joint is shown in Fig. 6, where K is packing box on one portion and K is a packing gland having a cap K. The other pipe extremity is provided with a terminal shoulder K and is slidable and revoluble in the packing box K.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

1. A device for cleaning the soot and ashes from the combustion chamber and tubes of a horizontal boiler having a smoke box, and for driving them vertically into the smoke stack, comprising, upper and lower rows of swinging steam jets, said rows arranged at different elevations in front of said boiler, one row of jets horizontally pivoted to alternately assume vertical and horizontal positions in the upper portion of the smoke box, and the second row, pivoted to alternately assume horizontal and vertical positions in the lower portion of the smoke box, and means for rotating said rows of jets to operate in conjunction to project the steam horizont lly through some of the tubes of the boiler against the rear wall of said combustion chamber, thence through the remaining tubes into the smoke box, and thence vertically into the smoke stack.

2. The method of projecting the soot and ashes deposited in the tubes and rear combustion chamber of a horizontal tubular boiler through some tubes into the smoke box; thence through other tubes into the smoke stack, consisting in projecting a horizontally extended row of dry steam jets horizontally throu h some of the tubes of the boiler against t e rear wall of said combustion chamber, to loosen and agitate the soot and light ashes, in the said combustion chamber, and simultaneously therewith projecting other horizontally extended steam jets vertically from in front of the boiler into the smoke stack, to complete a circulation of steam, carrying said soot and ashes in a state of suspension back through the upper fiues of the boiler, and vertically into said smoke stack, said horizontally extended rows of jets being arranged respectively adj acent to the top and bottom of said boiler.

3. The method of projecting the soot and ashes deposited in the tubes and rear combustion chamber of a horizontal tubular boiler into the smoke box, and thence into the smoke stack, consisting in; first, projecting a horizontally extended row of dry steam jets horizontally through the lower tubes of the boiler into the combustion chamber, to loosen and agitate the soot and light ashes in said combustion chamber, and simultaneously therewith projecting a horizontally extended row of steam jets vertically from the upper part of the smoke box into the smoke stack, to carry said soot and ashes in a state of suspension back through the upper fiues of the boiler, and vertically into said smoke stack, and subsequently reversing the positions of the steam jets to project the steam first horizontally through the upper fiues of the boiler and thence downwardiy into the combustion chamber to loosen and agitate any remaining soot and ashes in said fiues and chamber, and simultaneously to project the material in suspension vertically through the smoke box into the smoke stack.

4. In a marine boiler provided with an inclosed rear combustion chamber and return fiues and front smoke outlet, the combination therewithof means providing a complete circulation of steam under pressure through said fiues and combustion chamber, comprising, spaced horizontally extended rows of steam jets arranged at different levels in front of said boiler flues, said spaced jets controllable to project one row of said jets through the fiues at one level against the rear wall of said chamber, and to project the otherrow of jets vertically into said smoke outlet in front of said boiler, said series of jets rotatable on horizontal axes to permit reversal of this action.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a horizontal boiler rear combustion chamber, breeching, arti ficial air chamber and vertical fiues therein of a rotatable steam pipe provided with spaced jets, horizontally pivoted adjacent to the upper side of the boiler,underneath said vertical fiues, and a rotatable steam pipe, provided with spaced jets, horizontally pivoted adjacent to the lower side of the boiler,

and means for operating said rotatable steam pipes to project the steam horizontally from one series of jets, through the opposed fiues into the combustion chamber and against, the rear wall and bottom of said chamber and to project the returning mixture of steamsoot and ashes through said vertical fiues into the smoke stack.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of February, 1916.

JAMES BENNETT. In presence of- RALPH W. JEREMIAH, WM. M. MoNRoE. 

